In Honor of Kyoko
by Body by Gen
Summary: AU Japan's government has been overthrown in the last few years and gangs roam freely. Kyoko belongs to a rebel gang, but when she is killed, Tohru goes to live with the Sohmas and begins a war against gangs in the Red Butterfly's name.
1. Beginnings

Disclaimer: Me no own.

In Honor of Kyoko

"Araaa!" Honda Tohru cried. "I have a test in first!" She flew around her room gathering necessary school items and throwing them in her bag. The clock read 8:20, giving her only ten minutes to get to her school, half a mile away.

Dashing across the kitchen, Tohru grabbed the lunch her mother had made that morning off the counter. Her shoes were in the living room, and as she scrambled to put them on, her mother Kyoko turned her head up from a magazine.

"Have fun today, Tohru, and do your best!" was all she had time to say before her daughter streaked out the front door. Kyoko leaned back in her chair and continued to read.

Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang. Unhurriedly, Kyoko stood up and walked to the door. As she opened it, two men in sunglasses slipped in. Kyoko, recognizing the clothes normal for higher gang members, shut the door behind them.

"News from the boss?" Kyoko asked. No one ever mentioned anyone else's real name; it was always entirely possible the name could slip out. Her gang assured protection and anonymity. Kyoko called it a gang. It was easier, and sounded better than "organization," the proper term.

As Kyoko spoke, both men took off their sunglasses.

"You are the Red Butterfly?" one asked, and Kyoko realized her huge mistake as both men advanced on her.

She stumbled backward and grabbed onto the side of the couch. She'd only seen these men in pictures, but one did not forget the faces of the two best hit men in Japan's largest gang quickly.

Kyoko reached for a handgun in the pocket of her robe.

Half a mile away, reading over the first problem on her test, Tohru never heard the gunshots fired in her home.

During break after first period, Uotoni Arisa strode up to Tohru, followed by Hanajima Saki.

"Tohru! Do you think you did well?" Uo-chan asked.

"I sense a positive vibe from Tohru-chan," Hana-chan said. "I believe she has done quite well."

Tohru smiled at her best friends. "I do think I did pretty good," she admitted. As she said this, however, Saki's face darkened a little.

"At the same time," she said, hesitantly, "I feel something is not right. Something bad…" Uo nudged her.

"Don't scare Tohru-chan. It's probably nothing." Hana did not reply.

After school, Uo, Hana, and Tohru walked out of the building together.

"Oh, look. It's the prince's fan club," Uo-chan commented dryly as they walked out of the yard. "You've got to feel kind of sorry for him…"

Indeed, a group of girls were chanting, "L-O-V-E Yuki! Prince Yuki!" Tohru giggled.

"You two want to come over to my place today?" Uo-chan asked.

"Sure," Saki said. "Tohru?" She turned to look at Tohru.

"Gomen, I can't," Tohru said. "Mom wanted me to go shopping with her today."

"Have fun then!" Uo told her as she and Hana-chan walked away; her house was in the opposite direction.

"Be careful on the way home," Hana called. "If someone connected your mother to _them_, they'd go after you as well."

"I will!" Tohru called back before setting happily off towards her house. A day of shopping alone with her mother was much looked-forward to.

When Tohru arrived at her house, she swung the door open and called, "Tadaima!" Her mother, however, did not answer.

"Mom?" Tohru asked tentatively. Again, no one answered. Tohru wondered if her mother had gone out for a while. She took a step forward, and something caught her attention.

"Mama! Are you okay?" Tohru cried. A hand was visible behind the sofa. Tohru dropped her bag and ran forward, stumbling to a halt in front of Kyoko's body. She stared in horror at her mother's lifeless frame. It was apparent where several bullets had found their mark in Kyoko. Small pools of blood had flown from these wounds, and were now dried on the carpet and her robe. A gun was clutched in her hand.

Tohru dropped to her knees. This could not be her mother, who had been so cheerful and full of life this morning. Through muddled thoughts, she dimly remembered Saki's words earlier this morning: "I feel something is not right. Something bad." Hana-chan had known something about it, but Tohru had failed to pay any heed. Perhaps Kyoko could have been saved. Perhaps it was Tohru's own incompetence that had brought this about. She slipped back into a crouching position. Had she maybe let slip her mother was one of them? Had anyone asked her anything about Kyoko recently? Tohru could not remember. She could no longer think. Tohru dissolved into tears, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Mama…"

AN: WAAAAAHH! I killed Kyoko! Too sad! For any who read "My Favorite Day," yes, this will be more mature, dark, and violent, but things will get better for Tohru-chan from here on! Also, bloody scene, BAD! No more of those! I thought it was appropriate, considering the darkness and seriousness of the chapter. I repeat, things will be nicer in following chapters! Now, for those who bothered to read the summary, YES! This IS in fact AU; I know it seemed like normal in this chapter, it'll be explained in the next chapter. ALSO! Who is _them_? And what the hell is up with this "gang" crap? Find out next time! It ish very important! Big role! KK then, I will see minna soon!

Gen


	2. Leaving Home

Disclaimer: Me no own.

In Honor of Kyoko

An hour later, Tohru still sat beside her mother. Her eyes were red, and the occasional tear still trickled down her cheek.

Once she'd calmed down enough, Tohru had gotten a cloth from the kitchen and wetted it in the sink. Now, she was slumped against the couch, daubing at the blood. She felt she should at least clean Kyoko up.

When Tohru deemed that she'd done the best job she could, she hoisted herself from the floor and walked to the phone. Lifting it up, she plucked off a piece of paper held to the bottom by a piece of tape.

It was the number Kyoko had put there for Tohru to call if anything ever happened to her: the Boss's number. Taking a deep breath, Tohru lifted the receiver and dialed. After several rings, a man answered.

"Hello?" he said. Tohru's voice cracked as she replied.

"You…are you the Boss?"

"It depends who's asking," the man said craftily. Tohru was in no mood for games.

"Please!" she cried, "I'm Kyoko's daughter!" The man hesitated.

Then, "You shouldn't mention names; this call should be secure, but you never eliminate the possibility that someone's listening in."

Tohru did not feel like discussing gang policies. "It makes no difference now," she replied. "My mother is dead. Shot." Fresh tears formed in her eyes, but she brushed them away.

When he answered, the man's voice sounded urgent, but at the same time, a bit deadened.

"You need to get out of that house immediately then. If someone was able to find the Red Butterfly, chances are good they know about you as well. They may come back. Pack your things and get out. No need to worry about burial arrangements; we'll come over and take care of that. Keep my number and call back tomorrow, okay? I'll give you the details on where she'll be laid to rest. Do you have somewhere you can go?"

"Yes," Tohru lied. She wasn't sure why.

The man paused. Up until now he'd spoken like it was all business. Now his tone changed.

"I…I am very sorry for your loss. Truly I am. Kyoko was one of the best people I ever knew. She knew what she fought for. You have my very best wishes for the future."

"Thank you," Tohru said softly. Both hung up.

Tohru wandered the house, packing all she'd need. Most of her clothing was packed, several special belongings, her mother's Red Butterfly coat, and a photo of Kyoko. A little food went in as well. She found her mother's wallet and slipped it in. The wallet contained whatever cash Kyoko had out of the bank, a credit card, ATM card, and ID card.

When Tohru decided she had all she needed, she returned to Kyoko's side.

"Mother, I love you so much…" Tohru said. "I'll be strong, and I won't get down. I'll find somewhere to stay, okay? And I have a picture of you. I'll always keep it with me. And someday I'll find the people who killed you…they won't be able to simply walk away from this."

Tohru leaned down, kissed her mother's forehead, and then walked out the front door.

AN: Okay, I didn't FULLY explain everything that's going on; I've decided to carry that on into lots of following chapters. But I said a little bit of it, so I kinda kept my promise! Oo, was that a threat coming from little Tohru-chan? Is that possible? Hehe, so, here's a teaser for the next chapter! As for the credit card, ATM card, etc., I have no idea how Japan's banking system works. I do my best :) But I also didn't have shoutouts for last chapter's reviewers, so here they are now! (Aww, but there were only 3 ;.; maybe better luck this time around?)

Atsuki: Thankies!

Sugar High Yusukeholic: Arigato, yesh, angst is good, isn't it?

Hikari Rioki: Thanks for coming by to read! I'm glad you like it so far.

Gen


	3. Finding Tohru

Disclaimer: Me no own.

In Honor of Kyoko

That night, Tohru found herself walking through a large grove of trees. It had become quite cold a few hours ago, so she wore a jacket. She'd never changed out of her school uniform.

It had been smelling like rain for a while, and Tohru could only hope she'd be spared. Unfortunately, her luck was not improving. Only a few minutes later, lightning flashed against the dark sky and rain came pouring down.

Tohru fervently hoped her flashlight was waterproof as she ducked beneath an overhanging shrub. It wasn't much protection, and the water that dripped on her felt dirty against her skin; it picked up grit from the leaves of the bush.

Tohru stumbled out from beneath the shrub. As she stood up straight, an owl swooped down, tangling its talons in her hair. Tohru shrieked and twisted away. Dropping her flashlight, Tohru ran as fast as she could.

Tohru quickly grew tired. Her bag was heavy, and it slapped against her leg. Her hair was dripping, and her clothes were plastered against her body. Her shoes sunk deep into the mud with every step, letting mud leak into them, before being pulled free with sucking sounds when she lifted them once again.

Tohru's vision was also beginning to blur, and her body felt numb. Through the fog clouding her vision, a light began to appear, small and dim at first, then bigger and brighter.

Tohru felt her legs stop moving and dropped her bag, her fingers aching from clutching it so tightly. The light filled her view. 'Ara, now I'm seeing things,' she thought before consciousness slipped away and she hit the ground.

"Nyo?" Sohma Shigure looked up from his dinner. Sohma Yuki, known as "the prince" at his and Tohru's school, looked up as well.

"What?" he asked his cousin.

Shigure peered out the window. "I swear I just heard someone scream out there."

Yuki snorted. "As if you'd find anyone out there on a night like this!"

"All the same, I think I'll go have a look-look," Shigure replied.

"Have fun," Yuki said with sarcasm.

Shigure stood up and walked to the entry room. Picking out a coat, he slipped it on. He also picked up an umbrella.

"Yuki, come with me!" he called cheerfully.

"NO," Yuki responded very firmly.

Shigure ran back into the other room. "It'll be fuuuuuun," he said, dragging Yuki back to the front room by the arm.

"I said n—" Yuki's protest was muffled as Shigure pulled a sweater over his head.

"Time to investigate!" Shigure lifted Yuki up and set him in a pair of rain boots. Stepping into a pair of his own, Shigure grabbed Yuki's hand and pulled him out the door.

Outside, both scanned the fringe of the forest surrounding the house. Nothing appeared to be there.

"I told you nothing would be out here," Yuki said, annoyed. He turned to go back inside.

"Matte," Shigure said, grabbing Yuki's shoulder. "What is that over there?"

Yuki squinted to look at the spot Shigure was pointing at. He couldn't make anything through the sheets of rain.

"I don't—" Shigure cut him off.

"I think something's there." He led Yuki over to the area he'd spotted a bundle on the ground. He halted in front of it. "Good God…" Lying on the ground was a girl, a duffel bag next to her.

"Yuki, hold the umbrella," Shigure said, pushing it into the younger boy's hands without waiting for a protest. For once, his face was serious. But Yuki gave none. He silently held the umbrella over all three people as best he could and looked down at the girl Shigure was now stooping to pick up.

As lightning flashed, Yuki could see Tohru's face a little better, but didn't quite recognize her.

"Shigure, I know that girl," Yuki said. Shigure stood up, now holding Tohru in his arms and looked at him.

"Really? Who's she then?" Shigure asked. Yuki shrugged.

"I can't see too well out here. But I know her."

"Hmm, well that makes things a little easier," Shigure replied. "You can figure it out inside. Now give me the umbrella. You carry that bag in."

When they got inside, Shigure dropped the umbrella and stepped out of his rain boots, then walked away. Yuki followed suit, and followed the older man into the bathroom.

As Yuki walked in, he saw Shigure running water in the sink and dipping several cloths in it. Tohru's jacket hung on a peg on the wall.

"What are you doing?" Yuki asked, eying his uncle as he closed the door.

I am going to get that mud off her, dry her off, and change her into that," Shigure said, pointing to a robe of Yuki's, which was hanging on another peg.

Yuki rolled his eyes. His uncle really wasn't safe left alone with high school girls. Yuki glanced at the girl on the floor. Now that the light was better, he recognized her easily.

"Honda-san?" Shigure looked up with question on his face. "That's Honda Tohru," Yuki explained. "She's in my class. Now out."

"Pardon?" Shigure asked.

"You'll do weird things to her." Yuki opened the door and pointed out to the hallway. Shigure knew when he couldn't win and argument. He left, making puppy eyes at Yuki.

As soon as Shigure shut the door behind him, Yuki began to wipe Tohru down with the cloths Shigure had soaked in the warm water. She'd almost definitely catch a cold as it was, so it was important to get her warm and dry as quickly as possible.

"But why would you be all the way out here on a night like this?" Yuki wondered aloud. "With that bag?" Tohru shifted. Yuki sighed and finished wiping the last bit of mud off her arm. Now came the tricky part.

Yuki's face burned. He couldn't remember ever being so embarrassed. He'd never wanted anything as much as he now wanted Tohru to remain sleeping.

Careful to look only at the ceiling and walls, he felt for the bottom of Tohru's shirt and pulled it off. Yuki could feel his face growing even redder, if that was at all possible.

Yuki wondered if it would have been so bad to let Shigure take care of this. 'Yes,' his mind automatically told him.

Continuing to stare at the ceiling, Yuki reached down and pulled off Tohru's skirt. It didn't bear thinking as to what would happen if she woke up now. No doubt her underwear was wet as well, but there was no way in hell he was going to mess around with that. Standing up, Yuki edged over to the wall where his robe was hanging on the peg and grabbed it. As he felt his way back to where Tohru lay though, he tripped over her. Barely managing to keep his footing, Yuki did a little dance around her and came to a rest beside her once again. For several seconds, he sat stone still and prayed he'd not disturbed her sleep.

Once Yuki was certain Tohru was still sound asleep, he lifted her up gently and slid the robe underneath her. After wrapping it around her body, Yuki could finally look down to tie the cord around Tohru's waist. Muttering a thank you to whatever deity had been kind enough to keep the girl asleep, Yuki was able to breathe again.

Yuki was tired, wet and a little dirty. He picked Tohru up and carried her to a guest bedroom, setting her down on the futon and covering her with a blanket before heading back to the bathroom to take a shower.

AN: Woo…finally done. This chapter took a while to do, partly cuz it's freaking long (OK, maybe not THAT long, but it's about 1,500 words, so that's long enough, right?), and partly because I could never seem to get a long enough period of time uninterrupted to get it all done. I've been writing it around working on a HUGE research project…wish me luck, guys; I have to do a speech Friday (the 12th). Um, obviously The Sohmas don't change forms when they hug girls. I told you it was AU. So onto reviewer shoutouts! We always like those…Thankies, all, I got more last chappie than the first one.

Lollipop U: The beginning's supposed to be kinda angsty, I mean Kyoko dies for crying out loud! But the story's overall genre is supposed to be action, so yeah, later it won't be so sad, KK?

Hikari Rioki: Sorry, I know the last chapter was kind of short…I hope this one was long enough to make up for that? As for pairing, I'm thinking there won't be much more going on than in the anime. Just the same little triangle going on…but yeah. Hope this doesn't put anyone off, and I MAY in the future decide to do some pairing, but for the moment, I don't have any planned.

Anee: Yes, we shall! Hehe, thankies!

Sugar High Yusukeholic: Thanks, you'll learn more about _them_ and why Kyoko was killed within the next couple chapters!

Chibi Mo: rubs throat Ara…Hmm, perhaps Kyoko COULD be a muse, ne? It's a good idea! Ah, as for your DVDs, my mom said she could mail them this Thursday, KK? It's a little later than I promised, but she said that's the earliest she could go. I don't have RK back, so I'll mail that up along w/Esca (which I forgot to put in the box before I put a whole crapload of tape on, I am now officially the stupidest person on this planet), so yesh, thankies for your patience with Sessha, and I hope you liked this chapter as well!

Thank you all for your support!

Gen


	4. Feverish Stories

Disclaimer: Me no own

In Honor of Kyoko

It was noon the next day when Tohru wandered into the kitchen to find Shigure and Yuki unsuccessfully trying to make a lunch of onigiri. The rice cooker was working fine; they had plenty of rice. But it was all over the place. There was rice on the counter, rice cooker, floor, and even the wall. It was all over the cousins' hands and arms, as well as clothes. Tohru stared, and both grinned, embarrassed, and began to brush themselves off.

"Glad to see you're awake and up!" Shigure said, flicking a last grain of rice off his sleeve.

"Was there an accident with the rice cooker?" Tohru asked.

"No," Yuki said, "we're just bad at this."

Tohru was surprised to see Yuki. "S-sohma-kun? How did I get here?" The events of the last night had not completely caught up with her. Shigure explained.

As Shigure relayed how they'd found her, Tohru remembered all that had happened, and her face fell.

Yuki, seeing her distress, asked, "Is everything alright, Honda-san?"

Tohru tried her best to think up an excuse. "A-ano, it's just that my mother will be worried. See, there's a swarm of bees that built a nest in one of our walls, and Mother and I are moving over to the house of her friend until it is taken care of. But last night, I had to bring over some of my things by myself and got lost." The lie formed so easily in her mind, but Tohru knew she'd never be able to back it up if she was questioned. She changed the subject.

"You are Sohma-kun's father?" she asked Shigure.

Shigure laughed. "No, I'm Yuki's cousin."

Tohru bowed. "Thank you for letting me spend the night in your home, Sohma-san," she said. Shigure flapped his hand at her.

"No need to be so formal, Shigure will do just fine." Tohru giggled.

"Shigure-san!" She smiled. "Thank you very much for taking care of my for the night, but I shouldn't bother you any longer."

But Shigure grabbed Tohru's hand and said, "Tohru-san, It's at least a mile to get to any of the nearest houses, and you'd have to go through the forest, which isn't safe for a girl your age to be walking alone in. Why don't I give you a ride to this friend's house?"

Tohru paled a little. She couldn't let anyone know she had no place to go. Uo-chan lived in a very small house by herself, and Hana-chan's family was very large: she couldn't burden them. "Ara, it's alright! I could use the exercise," Tohru said cheerfully.

"Please," Shigure replied, "it's no trouble at all! Yuki can come too!"

Tohru panicked as she franticly searched for a way out. "No! It's totally fine! You don't need to bother with me!" Tohru knew the older man would protest; she was stalling for time now.

She was right. "No, Tohru-san," Shigure laughed, obviously amused by her antics. "I insist." Tohru was out of excuses.

"I can't!" she cried, jerking her hand out of Shigure's. Both Shigure and Yuki started, now unsettled. Tohru ran for the door, but halted halfway there. Her face was growing flushed, and she swayed unstably.

The room spun in front of Tohru, and she felt dizzy. As a warm darkness cloaked her, she numbly felt hands grabbing onto her waist, holding her up. Then she was gone.

As Tohru began to sway even more, Yuki strode forward. He got there not a second too soon: Tohru's legs gave way, and Yuki caught her. He turned to Shigure, who shrugged.

Yuki set Tohru on the futon in the spare bedroom once again and covered her with the blanket she'd folded up when she'd left the room earlier that day. Shigure sat on his knees beside Tohru and felt her forehead; her face was still flushed ten minutes after fainting.

He tutted. "Fever. You young people are forever running around, overexerting yourselves and getting sick," he joked.

"You could show some concern in this situation," Yuki told him.

"She's not going to die, so I don't see why we can't act like normal," Shigure complained.

For all he was an adult, Yuki thought, Shigure was perhaps the most immature person Yuki knew.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and go get a cold cloth for her head?" Yuki asked.

Shigure pouted. "Can't you do it yourself?"

Yuki was now fairly fed up. "I _could_, but I am not the one with nothing to do," he told his cousin. "I'm going to take care of Honda-san."

Shigure put on a hurt face. "And just how would you know I have nothing to do? I am an author; inspiration grows in my powerful mind at all times! I could have a best-selling novel in the works at this very moment, but you wouldn't know, would you?

Yuki could have rolled his eyes. "I **know** you've got nothing to do when you start talking like that," he shot back. "Now please go and get a cloth wet." He noticed that Tohru was shivering slightly. "Another blanket would be nice as well." Shigure gave a mocking bow and turned to leave.

A minute later, Tohru's eyes fluttered open. Yuki looked down at her. She showed no sign of recognizing him.

"Who…" Tohru asked, blinking at him. Yuki smiled.

"I'm just someone. I'm taking care of you." He doubted that Tohru would remember this later. Perhaps he could convince Tohru to tell him why she'd so vehemently refused Shigure's offer to drive her to her mother's friend's house. "So, where are you living right now?" Hearing a noise behind him, Yuki turned. Shigure stood in the door, giving Yuki a questioning look. Yuki put his finger to his lips and turned back to Tohru.

"I don't have a home…" Tohru replied.

"Because of the bees?" Yuki asked.

Tohru shook her head weakly. "No…I can't go back. They might come back to look for me." Shigure stepped up beside Yuki and handed him a cool damp cloth and an extra blanket from Yuki's bed. Yuki put the cloth on Tohru's forehead and spread the blanket over her. Shigure sat on his knees beside Yuki.

"Who are they?" Yuki asked, curious. He was startled when he saw tears forming in Tohru's eyes.

"The people who killed Mother," she sniffled. Yuki could not understand.

"Your mother's dead?" he asked. Tohru nodded. "But you said you were living with your mother's friend," Yuki pressed. Tohru nodded again.

"I can't tell anyone; they might be in one of the gangs," she explained. "Everyone hates Mother's gang." This was getting more and more complicated.

"Your mother was in a gang?" Yuki asked. He wasn't sure that this was a good thing at all; it was dangerous to get caught up in gang wars. Or to get caught up in gangs at all, for that matter.

"Yes. But it's not like all the rest," Tohru said quickly, apparently sensing his unease, even with her fever. They don't fight territory wars or trash buildings or anything!" She smiled a little. "It's kind of like a story: they'd be the good guys."

Yuki had to ask, "Honda-san, what gang did your mother belong to?" Maybe she just thought that this gang was the right one to belong to simply because her mother had belonged to it.

Tohru hesitated. Finally, she said, "Mother was part of the Reclaimers." Yuki almost thought she might be joking. The Reclaimers was a gang that had almost become legendary in Japan as an organization fighting to reinstate the government and eradicate all territorial gangs. The thing was, no one was quite sure whether the Reclaimers really existed or not. Somewhere along the way, the Reclaimers had been transformed, in public view, to the equivalent of a band of super-heroes from a storybook.

There was almost no evidence to support the existence of the group, even if it had once really been fighting. Once in a while, there would be a small occurrence on the news, like a police discovery and victory over a minor gang. Many people attributed it to the Reclaimers, even if it was jokingly, because the fact was that it was a miracle for police to do _anything_ about gang activity.

Yuki might have actually disbelieved Tohru's words, had not all she'd said added up. Members of the Reclaimers _would_ be thought of as "the good guys," in simple terms, and every gang in the nation had "eliminate the Reclaimers" on their to-do list, whether anyone actually believed in the group or not. Yuki could not believe that sweet, cheerful Honda Tohru could be part of the gang world. Then again, she hadn't said she herself was a member of the Reclaimers. Now there was a question waiting to be asked, Yuki thought.

"Honda-san, are you part of the Reclaimers as well?" Yuki asked. Tohru shook her head.

"No. Mother didn't want me to join a gang until I was all grown up and ready to make the choice for real. She said it's something you have to devote your whole life to, whether that was your original intention or not." Yuki was glad. Tohru had too much spirit to be part of a gang. What she'd said was true: gangs demanded complete allegiance and controlled virtually every moment of their members' lives. They were more like cults than anything else.

Suddenly, Tohru's eyes became a little teary. "I feel very guilty about Mother's death," she confessed. Yuki could not imagine how Tohru could possibly feel responsible. "I…I usually tell Mother that I love her every day before I leave for school," she continued. "But yesterday, because we had a test in first period, I stayed up late the night before to study. For that reason, I overslept and was in a hurry to get out of the house." Tohru stopped to brush away tears that formed in her eyes. "That morning, I didn't tell Mother that I loved her and to take care of herself for the day. I knew…I've always known she leads a dangerous life. But I did not give thought to her well-being simply because I had a small test. Mother should have always come before school. She was a million times more important than my diploma. But I did not even say goodbye to her."

Tears now ran down Tohru's cheeks, dropping onto her pillow. Yuki grabbed the corner of one of the blankets and gently wiped away her tears. Tohru continued to cry silently for several minutes more. When she finally chocked out a small sob, she was finished.

"I'm sorry," Tohru apologized. "I promised Mother I would not get down." Yuki was shocked, although he did not show it.

"Honda-san," he said kindly, "there is absolutely no need to apologize for crying. Although you shouldn't dwell heavily on this, no one can get by without shedding some tears." He paused. "Nor can they get through these things without support and love."

Tohru smiled. This person's kind words moved her. "Thank you," she said. "I know I'll need friends to help me out. Are you my friend?"

Yuki thought for a moment. "Yes," he said. "I believe I am."

Tohru looked happy. "Then please, look after me from now on!"

Yuki had another question he meant to ask: "What did your mother do?"

Tohru now looked a little dreamy. She and her mother had often talked for hours about what kind of jobs the Reclaimers assigned her and the work she put into them. "Mother was a very important person in the Reclaimers," Tohru told Yuki. "They sent her on lots of missions, and she was always helping them plan things out. She knew about all the things the Reclaimers did and she would tell me all about it. I know the members are not supposed to tell anyone that they are even part of the Reclaimers, but Mother trusted me, and I would never give her away…" Her face suddenly clouded. "You won't tell, will you? Even though she's gone, Mother said someone always might be able to connect her with other members. Don't tell anyone?"

Yuki smiled and brushed a strand of hair that had fallen on Tohru's face away as he spoke. "You don't have to worry, Honda-san. Shigure and I will never tell. It's your secret to keep." With these words, however, Yuki felt a little guilty. 'It's your secret to keep…' Yuki had taken advantage of Tohru's illness and tricked her into telling him. But these thoughts were shoved out of his head by what Tohru said next.

"Thank you…it would be better if no one knew the Red Butterfly is dead. She was part of what made the Reclaimers such a powerful symbol."

Yuki and Shigure stared at each other. The Red Butterfly was a nationally known figure. There were more stories about her, all of which described her looks differently from the last, than anyone cared to count. All anyone was certain of about the Red Butterfly was that she was female. Age, physical features, name, background…..the list went on. All these facts about the Red Butterfly were unknown. She was perhaps even a greater mystery than the Reclaimers itself. Although neither involvement in gangs nor the way they worked had ever interested Yuki, from the rise of the gangster empire, six years ago, the Red Butterfly had been an interesting and exiting figure to Yuki. He'd always wondered what she was like, this revolutionary person. There were stories that she'd in fact been the person who created the Reclaimers, but had given the leader's position to another.

Now, Yuki realized, he had indeed met the Red Butterfly without knowing it. A few times, Tohru's mother had come to pick her up from school, although she usually walked. Yuki remembered thinking that Honda Kyoko was a very pretty woman. She didn't look like any of the stories he'd ever heard about the Red Butterfly had depicted her. She also had looked, from what he saw of Tohru and her interactions, that she was a kind, caring mother. He had a hundred questions he longed to ask Tohru, but now was not the time.

Tohru's eyes were beginning to flicker. She needed rest, so Yuki let her slip away into the peaceful world of dreams before turning to Shigure.

His cousin was wearing a shocked expression full of awe. "Now that," Shigure croaked, "is a story far too good for my humble word processor."

AN: Sorreeeee, I know that took a while to get up. Not that long, actually I guess, ne? So! How did minna like? The whole thing was a little sappy, I know, but I got some good info in there, I think! You learned a lot about Kyoko and her gang, and got some lead-in to the AU elements. Originally, I was going to have it so the gangs had come into power in the past two or three years, but I decided it would work better if they'd been in existence for a long time, so they were taken for granted by the public and stuff. You guys know what I mean? ALSO! I know the bit where Tohru is sad about not saying goodbye and stuff to her mom is a huge chunk of BLATENT PLAGERISM, but we can all get past that, right? Eh, I guess it's okay since I've now given credit back to where it belongs. Now, on to the shoutouts! Oh! First, teaser for the next chappie: what happens when Tohru gets better and finds out she's spilled her whole story, Yuki gets the flu, Kyou attacks, Uo and Hana find out about Kyoko's death, and Gen sits down with a paper and pen? Lot's of craziness and…..a species change? What's this? Anyhoo…..

Chibi Mo: Yesh, strange, ne? It is to be explained soon!

Merei-chan: Why, thankies! I'm trying to make the chappies longer tho. Was this good? Also, your story, My Angel…remember a reviewer named Gen? THAT'S ME! Only before I got an account. I've been meaning to come back and read, but school's been getting in the way. Grrrrr. glares at school But expect a visit soon! It's really good!

Hikari Rioki: Well, I kept my promise and got it up! What you think? Yesh, it is kind of parallelly (um, not a word) following the plot of the anime, but the plot is quite different (Yeah, I already told you that).

Anee: Yeah, it'd be pretty funny to watch. Thankies for the cousin info, and Hikari as well! Araaaaa! I didn't even realize! One minute, Tohru was wearing a jacket, but when Yuki undressed her, he never took off a jacket! Yesh, he worked around it! Not. My bad, guys. I'll get back to that and fix it.

Sugar High Yusukeholic: Yay! I was just starting on this chappie and thinking you weren't coming back when you reviewed. Thaaaankies!

Gen


	5. New Discovery

Disclaimer: Me no own.

In Honor of Kyoko

Tohru's temperature dropped back to normal after two days, though, as Yuki predicted, she had caught a cold. Yuki had wondered how he was going to deal with talking to her about the "conversation" they'd had the other night.

Yuki was certain Tohru would be angry, not that he blamed her. He HAD intruded on very personal ground. But he found himself unwilling to upset her. He approached her the day she recovered from her fever, apprehensive and finding it took a great deal of willpower to begin. He could let this go, and Tohru would move out and on; it'd be the easiest way to go, but his conscious told him he was now involved. Damn conscious.

"Honda-san," Yuki began, "after you leave here, do you have anywhere to go?" His damn ethics stopped him from letting her leave without his knowing she had a place she could stay at.

Tohru put on a confused smile. "Leave…go…huh?"

Yuki made an effort to smile. He had to admit that she was good at keeping up an act though. It must be hard on her to have to live a lie and deal with her mother's death at the same time.

"Because you can't go to your house, where will you end up?"

Tohru began her story again. "While the bees are—"

Yuki stopped her, putting a finger lightly over her mouth. "Shigure and I—we didn't mean to pry, but the night you got a fever, we asked about the person you were staying with, and you told us all about…your situation." What a stupid way to phrase that. Yuki braced himself for her response.

Yuki looked up (he'd avoided her gaze as he'd talked), expecting an angry expression or a slap. Instead, Tohru looked a little teary and ashamed.

"I…" was all she seemed able to say for a minute. Then, "I'm sorry for lying to you and Shigure-san. But you can see how I could never tell just anyone the truth about my mother's death."

Yuki looked at her sympathetically. "I understand. But you can trust my cousin and myself. Even though Shigure is a little perverted." He reached over and brushed away small tears in Tohru's eyes. "You should watch out for him, by the way," Yuki continued. "He likes high-school girls."

Tohru laughed through her tears. "He seems like a good person to me!" Yuki cast a dark look at the door leading to the other room, which Shigure was in. Tohru's smile lessened a bit. "But it doesn't seem it will be a problem, in any case. I should take my leave. I've only been a burden on this house." She bowed. "I will go and get my things!"

Yuki grabbed Tohru's shoulder as she turned away. "Do you have anywhere to go though?"

Tohru grinned. "I'm sure I can find an apartment I can afford! Mother had some money put away, and I could get a job!"

"But," Yuki protested, "there's no reason to dip into your mother's savings when you have a home open to you already!" Tohru tilted her head to the side, questioning. "This house is plenty big enough for three people," Yuki explained. "I hardly doubt Shigure would have a problem with you staying with us, since you have no place to go."

Tohru held up her hands and shook her head frantically. "Oh no! I couldn't intrude on you like that!"

"Actually," a voice said from the door, "It really would be no problem. We'd ask for no rent, as long as you cooked meals and helped keep the place clean! This house could do with feminine influence, hahaha!" It was Shigure.

Turning, Tohru considered Shigure. "I would love to cook for you…are you sure I wouldn't be a bother?"

Shigure laughed again. "No worries, Tohru-kun! It's decided then: from now on you may live with us! And we'll have delicious homemade meals cooked by my little flower," he continued, drooling. Yuki's book bag connected solidly with his face.

"No dirty thoughts," the boy said sternly, his eyes hidden and a vein popping on his forehead. Turning to Tohru, his face was cheery again. "Come on, Honda-san, I'll show you to the guest bedroom. Before, we just put you in one of the entertaining rooms."

Shigure was hefting the book bag. "What did you put in here? A dictionary? Bricks?"

"Mmm, two dictionaries," Yuki replied, walking away.

That afternoon, the three sat around the dinner table, eating a very yummy lunch prepared by Tohru.

"Tohru-kun, this is most definitely the best food I have ever tasted!" Shigure complimented. Tohru blushed.

"You really think so?" she asked. Shigure grunted and nodded as he shoveled more of her cooking in. "You know," Tohru mused, "I wonder how they found Mother. No one knew who she was, personally, except for the Boss. And I don't think it's possible he gave her away. He's way too careful. She said no one even got to see her except for the most trusted members. Ah well. I doubt I'll ever even find the people who killed her. It was a silly promise to make." She sighed. Shigure grunted his question. "Oh," Tohru explained, "before I left, I made a promise to find her killers and bring them to justice." She laughed. "I don't know what it is I was planning on doing…"

Shigure swallowed his food. "I wouldn't say that," he said. "It seems fair to have the wish to find your mother's killers. It may indeed be possible to track them down!"

"How?" Tohru asked, wide-eyed.

Shigure shrugged. "I wouldn't know. it just might be possible!" He grinned. It earned him a punch on the arm from Yuki.

"Don't just blurt out stupid things that surface in your mind!"

Shigure's face became more serious. "Before the gangs rose to power, our nation was very prosperous and on the way to becoming one of the world's superpowers. Now, what's left of the broken government is in chaos, and the gangs make Japan a country ruled by anarchy. No one saw the fall of the government coming. They still dispute how it happened. It was a very complicated and quick thing. But gangs today roam the streets, defacing public and private property. They constantly fight their territory wars, ignoring public safety. The law enforcement ignores their activities and makes no effort to stop them. And the public turns a blind eye, pretending nothing happens, and so society goes on functioning, parallel with the gang world. That's the only reason Japan hasn't completely dissolved. It's both a blessing and a curse. The older residents live life as they always have, children are still going to school, and family life is disrupted little. Japan's youth are the ones most often crossing the border between civilized Japan and the gang world. Teens and young adults frequently get sucked into gangs. So life goes on, but the country's ethics are slowly dying as gangs become more prominent and promise to be the future of the nation once the older generation disappears. Japan looks like a doomed country, and the rest of the world makes no effort to intervene."

Both Yuki and Tohru were staring: Tohru's eyes were wide and attentive, but Yuki's were narrowed with irritation. "And just how the hell did that have any relevance to what we were talking about?" he asked.

Shigure smiled, all traces of his former look gone. "It didn't, but didn't I sound profound? I should write my memoirs, don't you think?" He looked very pleased with himself. A vein popped on Yuki's face, and he punched his cousin's arm once more. "Don't just blurt out random stuff that surfaces in your mind!" He repeated.

"But it was interesting!" Tohru protested. Mother often talked about the gangs, but I never heard it told that way!"

"Tohru-chan appreciates my profound and powerful words." Shigure stuck his tongue out at Yuki, in a very un-profound way. "Did anyone write that down? It'd be excellent dialogue if I ever think up a story to go with it!"

"No," Yuki said. Shigure pouted. "I think I should go rest," Yuki said, standing up. "I'm feeling sick." Tohru was immediately on her feet, feeling his forehead.

"Ah, Sohma-kun has a fever! Do you feel at all dizzy? You should have said something before! I must have gotten him sick! Gomen nasai, Sohma-kun. I'm sorry!"

Shigure laughed. "Silly, Tohru, you had a fever! Fevers aren't contagious." He stood up and looked closely at Yuki before feeling his forehead. "Mmm, I think he might have the flu. It IS that time of year. You should lie down," he told Yuki.

As they helped Yuki towards his room, something burst through the ceiling, making a huge hole and causing Tohru to shriek. When the dust cleared, an orange-haired boy stood in front of the trio, cracking his back and grinning.

"Now I'll defeat you, kuso nezumi!" He yelled, rushing at Yuki without warning. Tohru shrieked, but Yuki, looking only half-interested, stepped aside, grabbed his oncoming assailant, and threw him across the room in one fluid motion. The orange-haired boy crashed into the paper door and skidded to a halt on the back porch.

"Stop breaking my house Kyou!" Shigure reprimanded him. Now I'll have to get both the paper door and the roof fixed!

"What do you want, baka neko?" Yuki asked. "Come to get beaten again? You're too easy to win against."

"D-dammit!" The boy yelled, picking himself up and launching himself toward Yuki again. Tohru could see his red eyes full of battle fire and rage and the blood that dripped from a cut below his mouth. He reached Yuki once again, and a flurry of fists and feet erupted. The two boys moved too fast for Tohru to clearly make out their movements.

"Sohma-kun!" she called. Whoever this orange-haired person was, Yuki shouldn't be fighting with a fever.

"HA!" The attacking boy yelled as he apparently saw an opening. He swung his fist straight toward Yuki's jaw, but a foot connected solidly with his face as Yuki kicked straight up, his foot catching his opponent's chin on the way up. The boy fell backward, and sat up, wiping yet more blood away from his mouth. His teeth were bared in a snarl, but Yuki's face remained impassive.

"Baka neko. Don't bore me," Yuki said softly. The opposing boy's face contorted with rage.

"I'll show you a fight, damn rat!" He leapt up once again and renewed his attack with more ferocity than before. Yuki fell back, his weakened state beginning to hinder him. The other boy grinned and swung a fist at him, sensing that Yuki was not as strong as he may have normally been.

"No, he's sick!" Tohru cried, thrusting herself between the opponents. The orange-haired boy's face seemed startled, and he tried to pull out of the punch, but the blow still fell, glancing on Tohru's forehead as she flinched, and drawing a small amount of blood. Tohru, carried by her momentum, fell towards Yuki, and both toppled to the floor, Tohru cushioned by Yuki.

With a small pop, Tohru felt Yuki's body disappear from beneath her, and the next second, she found herself sitting on top of a pile of clothes, a small gray mouse between her legs. Mouse and riceball stared at each other for a minute. The orange haired boy stood by, also staring.

"Oh dear," Shigure said.

Tohru lifted the mouse up level to her face. It had the same violet eyes as Yuki. "Araaaaa!" she cried, "It's my fault! I bumped into him and fell on him! I must have hit him wrong! We must take him to the doctor," Tohru cried, running toward the door. Shigure grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

He put his forehead in his hand. "Ara, how do we go about explaining this?" he asked. The orange-haired boy grimaced.

"Why doesn't that damn rat tell her? It's his fault she found out!" he said angrily.

Tohru choked back a scream when the rat itself talked. "Is it my fault I'm sick, cat?" it asked. "It's your fault for attacking me!"

"Kuso nezumi!" the boy yelled.

"Baka neko."

"Shut up!"

"Boys, boys…" Shigure shook his head. He turned to Tohru, who had calmed down sufficiently to listen by now. "Tohru-kun, are you familiar with the story of the twelve—or thirteen zodiacs?"

"Yes!" Tohru replied. "Mother used to tell it to me all the time!" She paused. "I-I decided that I wanted my zodiac to be the cat after hearing it!" The boy with orange hair snorted.

"Yes, well, that story pretty much really happened," Shigure said. "There are thirteen members of the Sohma family who have the curse of a zodiac on them. Yuki is the rat, Kyou—" he motioned toward the orange-haired boy "—is the cat, and I'm the dog. There are ten others with this curse. When we are tired, sick, or overworked, we tend to turn into our zodiac animal. It's important to remain as stress-free as possible, because there is, of course, a slight problem with turning into an animal at work, say, or school. There has been the occasional occurrence, but it can usually be covered up."

Tohru looked on with wide eyes. This was too much to take in at once. Now that she thought, it seemed that Yuki did skip P.E. even when he only had a cold. "It…it must be very troublesome," she said, still trying to take it all in.

"It's not too big a problem, as long as the stress doesn't mount too high," Yuki…..the rat said. "We change back fairly fast—" a cloud of smoke erupted, and Tohru found herself holding his hand and staring at a rather embarrassing image. "Completely naked," Yuki finished, blushing. Tohru hit her head on the doorframe in an attempt to look away. Small tears formed in the corners of her eyes: she'd hit the same spot Kyou had cut a few minutes ago, and the wound reopened and began to bleed a little.

"Now look, Kyou, you hurt Tohru!" Shigure accused. Kyou, standing close by, scowled.

"It's her fault for jumping in the middle of a fight!" He retorted. Yuki, who'd just finished buttoning up his shirt, strode toward him and grabbed the front of his shirt. "Apologize," he ordered silkily. Kyou growled at him. Yuki grabbed Kyou's shirt with a second hand and pulled him close so their noses almost touched. "Apologize to Honda-san," he repeated, sounding very dangerous.

Kyou plunged his hand at Yuki and grabbed his shirt as well, so they stood opposite each other, both pulling at the other's shirt and glaring. Finally Kyou relented and released Yuki's shirt. Yuki relaxed his grip as well.

"Sorry," Kyou grunted, turning away.

"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Shigure asked. He was finishing up putting a Band-Aid over the cut on Tohru's forehead. She looked concernedly at the two boys, both now skulking around and casting dark looks at each other. "Don't worry about Yuki and Kyou, they've always fought like this. You remember how the mouse tricked the cat?" Tohru nodded. "It's just cat-rat rivalry," Shigure explained. "Natural dislike, I suppose," he said, casting a disdainful look at the two. Tohru nodded, amazed at what she'd just seen and heard.

AN: I didn't say they didn't transform at all. :) More blatant plagiarism. Sorry. It's just too good to pass up. It took a while to get started because I got the flu last Wednesday and was sick till Friday. The whole thing was very unpleasant. I STILL have a cough and cold, although they're improving bit-by-bit. My chappies are getting long, which I figure is pretty good. As for Uo and Hana finding out about Tohru's new living arrangements, I know I promise things in these notes and don't necessarily do it, and I apologize! I do have plans for chapters, but sometimes, once I'm actually writing them, they get too long, and a part has to get shoved into next chapter's agenda, or the certain part may just turn out working better later. Once again, my apologies! I do most of what I say in my little notes, but I can't promise absolutely everything will get covered when I first say it will! Oh, if anyone doesn't know the story of the zodiacs (shame on you, why are you reading this?), I understand a great deal won't make sense, so if anyone who comes by actually doesn't know what's going on, feel free to email me and I'll give you the story. I really don't see this being a problem, but just in case, I guess. So anyways, here's our shoutouts for this chapter! Thank you everyone, I'm very happy to say there were a grand total of EIGHT reviews for this chapter! That makes me happy, it's much better than what I got for the 1st chapter, I believe only four people reviewed. (I know, it's still a decent number, but I'm greedy, so sue me!) I guess it just took a little while for the story to get discovered…..? Whatever! We're good now!

Hikari Rioki: Hehe, thankies! Sorry your sick btw. :(

Chibi Mo: Wai! Glad I'm getting all the characters right! Ara, Gennie ish sick too.

Cyjj: Thanks, hope ya come back!

Anonymous: Great! Please visit again!

Sugar High Yusukeholic: Oo, favorites list? Yay! Yes, I LOVE Kyoko's character as the Red Butterfly! I have fun with it! She plays a huge role (obvious if ya read the summary), so she's not done with! There may even be flashbacks! Although I'm not promising nothing since you know how I am with promises.

Anee: Yeah, I think Tohru calls him Sohma-kun, not san. But I didn't know she ever actually called him by his first name, you give me too much credit! Yesh, more info is soon to be given on Kyoko's life as a part of the Reclaimers, and the gang itself plays a role in the future plot! Tho I wont tell you how! But your voices are very perceptive!

Merei-chan: Woo! I always try to improve based on what reviewers say! It's very helpful to get tips! I assume you got my review?

Aaron: Um, hi…have fun reading, I guess, you seriously aren't going to have a clue who anyone is tho. See you on Sunday?

Peace.

Gen


	6. Explanation

Disclaimer: Me no own.

In Honor of Kyoko

The next morning, Monday, Tohru raced around the house, getting ready for school and showing Shigure where the meal she'd premade was, as well as various other things she viewed as necessary, such as where everything needed to make tea was (she'd cleaned and organized the dirty kitchen).

When a sleepy Yuki wandered into the living room, Tohru had just finished. Seeing that Yuki was at least fully dressed if not entirely conscious, Shigure grabbed both teens and pushed them out the front door, tossing their book bags out after them.

"Don't be late!" he yelled after the retreating pair. Tohru waved. Shigure returned to the kitchen to find himself faced with a box of cereal. "I miss my little flower's cooking already!" he cried.

When Tohru and Yuki arrived at school, Uo and Hana-chan quickly found them. They relieved Yuki of Tohru's company, leading her away as Yuki's fan club descended like a pack of hounds.

"So, how come you showed up with the prince today?" Uo-chan asked casually as the three girls walked to their lockers. Tohru blushed, wondering if Uo or Hana knew anything about her new living arrangements

"Oh, I-I just met him, um, on the way here!" Tohru stammered, blushing more.

She wasn't sure how her friends would react to her staying with men, and it wasn't even a sure deal. Shigure and Yuki might still decide she was too much of a burden, and she knew her companions would take personal offense to anything they saw as unkindness to Tohru. And Tohru didn't feel like relaying her mother's murder just yet; the subject was still painful.

So even though she felt terrible about hiding something so important from her best friends, Tohru decided to put off telling Uo and Hana about her situation. She came out of her thoughts and realized Uo-chan was speaking.

"Whatever, but the prince's fan club is sure to be put off by any closeness with him. You ought to watch out for them today," the blonde girl was saying. Tohru nodded.

"I sense a disturbance in your electromagnetic wave, Tohru," Hana-chan commented. "There is a feeling of unease and a complication in its flow." Tohru stopped dead in her tracks, her face turning bright red.

"Ah-ara, it's probably just exam stress!" she lied. It was plausible: midterms were looming on the horizon, as their teachers often warned.

"Mmm," Hana-chan replied. "Try to get some extra rest." Tohru let out her breath.

'You have to be careful with Hana-chan's electromagnetic waves,' she thought, following her friends toward the classroom.

For the rest of the school day, Tohru remained spacey and detached. Uo-chan worried about Tohru's lack of attention, and Hana-chan continued to be aware of a huge disturbance in Tohru's wave, but they agreed to investigate later with a silent nod, and neither pressed Tohru for information.

When the bell rant to signal the end of school, Tohru gathered her things, gave and automatic wave and smile to her friends, and started out the door.

Her condition had lasted all day, and hadn't been exactly hard to notice: it became apparent when the teacher called on her to answer a question only to find her staring into space with an unreadable expression. The only reason he'd let her off was that after several minutes of waving his hand in front of her face, Tohru's eyes snapped into focus and she yelled the answer to his question: "F-FORTY-TWO!"

Because of this, when he looked up and saw Tohru leaving, once again looking spaced out, Yuki hurried to catch her. She seemed to be following a well-known course of actions today: great if she wanted to get through the day and back to her house without much thought, not good if she planned on returning to his and Shigure's home. Yuki was willing to bet that, left to her own devices, Tohru would be inside her mother's house before she realized she'd left school.

Yuki caught up to Tohru just outside the school building. He grabbed her elbow and began to direct her the right way. She still gave no response, barely aware of Yuki's presence.

When the two finally arrived at home, Tohru left Yuki in the foyer, walking into the living room. Yuki heard a thump.

"Are you all right Tohru-kun?" came Shigure's voice. Tohru stumbled back into Yuki's line of vision rubbing her forehead. Shigure shot a look at Yuki, who shrugged. Suddenly Tohru's eyes snapped into focus.

"Tomorrow was Saturday!" she cried, rushing into the kitchen. Yuki and Shigure watched her wander back out, both staring. "Ano, where's the phone?" she asked. They pointed to the opposite wall of the living room. Tohru went to it, pulled a piece of paper out of her uniform pocket, and dialed. Shigure and Yuki left her alone to make her call.

"She wasn't like that when you left," Shigure said. Yuki nodded.

"Something must have happened before school, because she's been spacey all through school," Yuki replied. They continued to ponder Tohru's unusual behavior until she came into the room. She seemed focused for the first time since leaving Yuki in front of school.

"I was talking to the boss of mother's gang," she began. "He told me where my mother's been buried so I can go and visit her!" She smiled. "Would Shigure-san and Sohma-kun like to come with me this Saturday?"

"Sorry, Tohru-kun, I have a meeting with my editor that day. I'm supposed to have my latest script ready. But I seem to have lost it, what if it doesn't turn up by then?" Shigure said in a singsong voice dripping with fake concern. Yuki shot him a patronizing look. His cousin smiled back innocently, and bounced away giggling.

Yuki turned back to Tohru who, to his dismay, was once again staring into space. He tentatively put a hand on her shoulder, startling her out of her stupor. "Honda-san, would you come with me to the back room?" he asked. "I'd like to talk to you." Tohru followed him into the room, her head cocked.

"Is something wrong?" Yuki asked as he turned to face Tohru. "You've been acting strangely all day."

"I-I wouldn't want to burden Sohma-kun with my problems," Tohru answered.

Yuki shook his head. "It's fine Honda-san," he told her. "I asked because I'm concerned. I want to help if I can."

Tohru lowered her head a little. "It's just that I don't know how to tell Uo and Hana-chan what happened to Mother," she paused, "and how I'm now living with you and Shigure-san. I've been trying to think of a way to let them know, but it's hard!" Neither spoke for a minute, but Tohru broke the silence. "I hate hiding what happened from them," she continued, "but I really don't want to talk about it yet."

Yuki smiled and patted Tohru's head. "It's alright," he soothed. "I'm sure they'll understand if you wait a while. It's a personal thing and something you don't need to talk about unless you're comfortable." He immediately felt guilty about his method of learning about it once again. But Tohru didn't seem to mind.

"Thank you Sohma-kun--" her words were cut short by the paper door sliding open.

"I found Tohru's electromagnetic wave," Hana-chan said, an antennae protruding from her head. Yuki and Tohru stared at Hana-chan and Uo-chan standing in the door, who in turn were staring at them.

"I found Tohru," Uo-chan said, rather uselessly, pointing at Tohru. Tohru held up her hands.

"I can explain, it's nothing wrong—" Uo-chan grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the porch they'd come from.

"We heard someone singing about high school girls, are you sure they didn't do anything?" Uo demanded.

"That would be my perverted cousin," Yuki interjected, stepping up beside the trio.

"It's the prince," Hana-chan observed. Tohru was very flustered.

"You don't need to worry! I'm staying with Sohma-kun and Shigure-san!" she explained. Uo-chan looked sharply at her. "I…" Tohru continued, "I'm staying here because I can't go home anymore. Mother's been killed." She broke off, with Hana-chan and Uo-chan staring.

"Was it because her connections to them?" Uo-chan finally asked. Tohru nodded. "Do you know who it was that killed Kyoko-san?" she asked. Tohru shook her head.

"But it was a gangster," Tohru confirmed. "No one else would have a reason to attack her. And they would have to know what they were doing to get Mother. She had a gun." A tear now dropped from her eye, making a small splashing sound against the silence as it hit the floor. In the next moment, Uo-chan was sweeping Tohru up in a tight embrace. Tohru locked her arms around her friend's neck and cried into her shoulder. Hana-chan moved to stand next to the two girls, putting an arm around both and stroking Tohru's hair.

Yuki stood aside and watched the friends. For reasons he couldn't fathom, he was slightly jealous of the closeness they showed. He decided he was just feeling a bit sorry for himself because he had no friends with whom he could be so close. In any case, this was time for Tohru and her friends to be alone and talk. His presence would only be an intrusion right now. Yuki walked inside, leaving Tohru to give details of her current situation to Uo-chan and Hana-chan.

AN: Uuuugh. I think I'm dead. My lack of energy in the last couple days has been really bad. Maybe it's just because I'm on break? Anyhoo, I'm sorry I took so long in getting this last chapter up! I had part of on my account at school, but on the last day, the server went down, so I couldn't email it home to myself! This was probably the major factor in my lack of action in finishing it. Ya, people went kind of OOC in this chapter, gomen. I'm not quite satisfied with it, but seen as it took this long to write it once, I'm not even going to try and rewrite it. But I liked the ending. Wouldn't that be a really cute picture, to have Tohru, Hana and Uo all hugging? I dunno. I think it would be. As for length, I guess it's okay this time around, although this chapter was much shorter than what I've been doing. Oh well. OMG, it really doesn't feel like Xmas. Seriously. And the New Year's in, what, five days? It doesn't feel like that either. Gah, maybe it's because of the lack of festivity here. We're remodeling the house, doing the whole upstairs and the back half of downstairs, so we're basically living in four rooms and a hall. So there's no room for a tree or anything (I mean, the kitchen, living room, and my mom & dad's room are all in one room, that's how cramped it is). But yeah, a lot of my friends say it doesn't feel like Christmas as well, so I guess it's not just me. Anyway, on to reviewer shoutouts! Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Chibi Mo: Haha ya, I thought since I was going for the whole AU thing I might as well change how they transform. Oh! I forgot for the last two chapters, kudos to everybody! Every single person was right in noticing the Sohmas didn't change when they hugged Tohru I forgot to mention it two chapters ago, and then I was going to catch up on it last chapter, but I forgot again. Sorry!

Cyjj: Woo! You came back Thankies!

Anee: Ya, it presents a whole new set of opportunities for transformations! And remember, it's also when they overexert themselves or get really tired. And of course, you're very likely to get overworked often while fighting a war against a nation's biggest threat, right? Haha thanks for the enlightenment!

Kireina: I'm glad! It seems that AUs are often hard to keep close enough to the original plot to make much sense or whatever. Anyway, thankies, and we hope to see you again! (Why the hell do I say "we?")

Sugar High Yusukeholic: Haha, I KNOW! Well, at least Yuki and Kyou don't catfight. Now THAT would be a hilarious thing to see. But yeah, not a whole lot more explaining to do about Kyoko, but I plan to have the occasional bit of information integrated, and as I said, a few flashbacks. No pairing planned for this story, but nothing's final till it's over!

Anonymous: Yay! You also came back, this makes me very happy. We always like that! Or are you a new Anonymous? Either way, thank you for your time and nice review! (Once again, who is "we"?)

Hikari Rioki: Yeah, I just played around with the curse a little. Yesh, I plan to have Akito in this fic…I'm not really sure when he'll be introduced tho. Hmm. I'll have to think about that some. So ya. You've probly already been to the doctor at this point (god, I've taken so long to update), so are you okay now? Ya, girls need iron more than guys, my cross-country coach told me that. When you get iron depleted, you get tired and weak and crap. It happened to me once during the season…I was a mess; it took me a whole week to totally get back on my feet. Why three pounds tho? It's a weird amount, ne? Oh ya, I got the chappie, it was very good!

Merei-chan: Haha, Shigure is funny when he tries to sound mature. :) Ya, finals just suck. Although they're long gone by now. feels dumb

Inu87yasha: Ah, well, thanx. But My Favorite Day's over. Hmm. Maybe I didn't make that very clear. I'll go back and put a "The End" in it. I said so in the author note…but I don't really expect too many people to actually read those. Should I just stop writing those long ass things? Does everyone just skip them? Hmm. But yesh, I'm glad you liked the story! Haha, I guess you'll read this if you ever come by here anyway

Gen


	7. Approval

Disclaimer: Not mine

In Honor of Kyoko

"What the hell is this?" Kyou asked as he sat down at the table for breakfast. "G'Morning to you too, Carrot-top." Uo-chan shot the newcomer a patronizing stare, and Hana-chan looked on nonchalantly.

"These are Tohru-kun's friends, Kyou," Shigure informed him. "They stayed over last night, and they go to her and Yuki's school…high school girls!"

"Get that perverted smile off your face," Kyou said with a disgusted face.

"This is my cousin, Kyou." Shigure introduced the cat.

Actually, Arisa and Saki had invited themselves over for the night when they found that Tohru was staying with three men. They had made it known that their approval was required.

"Tohru-chan is a very sweet and trusting girl," Saki had explained. "She could easily get herself into a bad situation because of this. We simply must make sure."

"Ah, that reminds me, Shigure continued, "Kyou, you start at that school on Monday!" Shigure looked very happy. "You're lucky they accepted your application so late…it's already a third of the way through the year!" Kyou choked on the milk he'd been drinking.

"Excuse me?" Yuki asked, coming out of his morning stupor and looking very dangerous indeed.

Shigure's beaming smile shrank a little. "Kyou took the entrance exam the other day, and he passed! To be honest, I didn't think he could do it…"

Kyou slammed his fist on the table, causing everything on it to jump an inch. "What kind of shit are you spouting, damn dog?" he shouted. "I never took any entrance exam!"

"Of course not," Shigure replied, his voice dripping with innocence. "You just filled out some paperwork Akito sent." Kyou's eyes widened. He and Yuki rose simultaneously Kyou once again slamming his fists on the table and thrusting himself up, Yuki standing slowly with shadowed eyes and a growing aura of menace.

"Damn dog!" Kyou roared. "How dare you treat me like I'm an idiot!"

"But it's an established fact!" Shigure said, smirking. Kyou lunged for the older man, but Yuki got there first.

"You will transfer him to a different school," Yuki whispered. Shigure held his hands up.

"I can't!" he defended. "It's so late into the school year; he was lucky to get in as it is!"

"You WILL do it," Yuki breathed. Shigure just shook his head. Yuki released his cousin and retreated a few steps, apparently searching for his next move. Finally he pointed to the door. "You can't eat," he croaked. "You are not allowed to be near." Shigure obviously knew when he was being thrown a lifeline, and he made a quick exit while he could.

The focus of the room's remaining occupants turned to Kyou whose eyes were invisible to his viewers, and was breathing heavily. His head snapped up, and his read eyes were full of fire. His hands clenched.

"Damn you Shigure!" he yelled to the silent room.

"Be quiet, baka neko," Yuki reprimanded. "I can't hear myself think when you talk." Tohru noticed that his gaze always hardened when he looked at Kyou.

"Shut up, rat!" Kyou spat. "If you're so damn smart why can't you do anything about this?"

Yuki glowered. "How could you be so thick-headed as to be tricked into taking that test?"

"You heard what that dog said!" Kyou yelled. "He said it was something Akito—"

"And it didn't make you wonder at all when the front said 'Entrance Exam?'" Yuki asked, his temper obviously rising.

"It didn't say that!" Kyou roared. "It said—" He stopped. "DAMMIT!" he screamed.

"Damn, Carrot-top," Uo-chan said. "Your hair's real bright, but your underneath it…"

"Who asked you, damn Yankee?" Kyou yelled back. Tohru's eyes widened, and Saki looked up, her eyes flashing. To everyone's relief, neither Saki nor Arisa lost their tempers.

"Ooh," Uo-chan teased, "Carrot–top's got a temper!" Kyou bared his teeth, but didn't respond. Instead, he turned back to Yuki.

"In any case," he snarled, "those exams must have been pretty easy if they let YOU in!"

"Don't confuse me with yourself, baka neko," Yuki retorted. "The must have lowered the standards since I took it."

"Kuso nezumi!" Kyou charged at Yuki, his fists raised. It was over quickly. As Kyou came at him, Yuki's foot snapped out, catching him in the stomach, and sending him flying across the room. Hana-chan looked mildly impressed, and Arisa gave a short round of applause. Tohru rushed over to the fallen Kyou.

"Is Kyou-kun alright?" She asked, helping him sit up.

"I'm fine," Kyou growled, pushing her away. An empty bowl sent from Yuki sailed towards Kyou and hit him in the head. "What the hell?" he yelled.

"Treat Honda-san with some respect!" Yuki ordered. "She was just helping."

"Did I ask for help? No!" Kyou said. "Do I need it? No!"

Uo-chan came to crouch next to Kyou. She glared. "You **should** treat Tohru with respect! She is an expert in four different kinds of martial arts, can handle any kind of gun, even military issues, and is well learned in the field of bombing! Chemical and biological warfare as well!"

Hana-chan nodded from her spot. "Indeed, you should not take Tohru-chan's sweet and kind attitude for granted. She is quite dangerous and does not hesitate to use violence when she feels her generosity is taken advantage of."

The color drained from Kyou's face. Sweet little Tohru, who was always smiling and tagging along trying to socialize? How could she possibly have this hidden personality her friends spoke of?

"Now," Arisa said, "I believe an apology to Tohru-chan is in order."

"Go-gomen nasai," Kyou muttered, his face flushed. He looked away immediately.

"A-ah, ah," Tohru stammered, "It's totally fine! I don't mind!"

Uo-chan stood up. "Saki and I have to go now," she said. "I think we can trust you three to take good care of Tohru. Although—" she turned to Kyou. "I don't want to hear that you have been unkind to Tohru!"

"Whatever, Yankee," Kyou growled. Satisfied, Uo-chan and Hana-chan both hugged Tohru goodbye before walking to the door to the foyer, where their bags were already packed. As Uo-chan walked through, Saki paused and turned. "Please give Sohma-san our thanks for allowing us to spend the night." Yuki nodded. She smiled at Tohru and left.

"Where the hell did you meet those two?" Kyou asked.

"I met Uo-chan back in fifth grade, when her gang was at its peak," Tohru explained. "I mean, before the gang takeover, it was just kids. I met Hana-chan several years ago. She transferred to my school because she had caused…problems at her former school. I'm so glad to have met them!" She beamed.

"And where the hell did you learn all that fighting stuff?" he asked. Yuki hit the back of his head.

"You _believed_ those two?" He asked. "It amazes me how gullible you are."

"Damn Yankee!" Kyou yelled, stomping his foot down, and causing dust to rise from between the floorboards. He stomped away.

"So, Honda-san," Yuki smiled. "From now on, you can definitely stay with us."

Tohru smiled back. "Arigato Sohma-kun! I'll go tell Shigure-san!" she ran out of the room towards Shigure's office. Yuki leaned back against the wall. He was so glad Tohru would be staying. In the short space of only a few days, her presence had become so natural it would feel strange if she left.

How did that happen? Yuki wondered.

AN: Gah, finally done! Gomen nasai, I'm so sorry for my lack of focus and extreme laziness! I finally sat down and typed out the whole damn thing…I had already written out about 1/3 of it…it was just so hard to sit down and write out this chapter. I know it wasn't too good, but from now I think I've managed to beat down my writer's block. My apologies for the long wait, and my deepest thanks to anyone who actually comes back to read this…I know, most people have probably just forgotten all about me, it's been so long. Almost 2 months I guess…dammit! I hope I haven't gone and lost my whole audience…why do I always go and screw myself over like that? Anyway, shoutouts, and hoping everyone will rediscover me! Oh, for anyone who asked about my Xmas/New Year, Xmas was pretty fun, although New Years kinda sucked…no parties fer me, mi familia made me stay with them…damn.

Anonymous: Gracias! I hope you had fun!

Kireina: Haha, thankies! I always like hugs, they're just so fun. Glad I didn't horribly screw up how Shigure laughs!

Merei-chan: Good to know, I was wondering if I was just talking to myself. Glad to hear yer Xmas was fun! Although that was quite a while ago. Only 8? I can't sleep till 11. I hope you update again soon! I liked yer recent stories too, they were sooo kawaii! Hahaha, thanks fer all the reviews,

Sugar High Yusukeholic: Hai hai, although I haven't quite figured out the role Akito will play…he might end up being a hindrance, or actually helping out…in an evil, bastardy kinda way. I say you go fer the FB fic idea, I think Fruits Basket is one of the easiest series to write fanfics for…and only Shigure calls Tohru Tohru-kun, it's cuz he has a lot of respect for her cuz of how she was able to deal with her mother's death so well and (in the original story) because she was able to tough it out in the wild, living in a tent!

Anee/Arian Rowan/Arin Ross: Heheh, you guys always make me laugh! I just don't get too hyper off caffeine or sugar anymore…coffee kinda just lost its hypernating effect…although it will still wake me up. Anyhoo, thankies, all, and I hope Anee has since calmed down.

Hikari Rioki: Well, as far as updating "soon," I'm afraid I've pretty much let ya down. :( Sorry bout that…I wanna have Tohru meet all the other juunishi, which, after Ayame, will be kinda hard since I've only read so far. I've been looking fer scanlations all over the place, but it's damn hard to find them anywhere except for IRC, which I can't use on my comp (I have a Mac)…but I'm not giving up, I'm not waiting till frigin next year to see the others…

Acapacien: Thanks! They could carry Tohru because I changed how the curse worked…I wonder if I didn't make that clear enough…Sorry!

Gen


	8. Twists

Disclaimer: Me no own.

In Honor of Kyoko

"Job?" Shigure looked up from his lunch. It was Saturday afternoon, so Tohru and the boys were home.

Tohru nodded from across the table. "It will just be a part-time job, so I'll be home by evening and able to keep up with school and chores here. The position is on the cleaning crew of a large office building, so I'll work hard!"

Shigure frowned. "But Tohru-kun, I've told you there is no rent to stay with us…why would you need a job?"

Tohru shook her head. "Mother and I lived fairly well, but we didn't really have a great deal of money. I need to take a job to help pay for school, and so I have some income once I graduate."

Once again, Shigure was startled. "Graduate? Aren't you thinking a little far ahead Tohru?"

"It never hurts," she explained, smiling.

"Well, I don't see any problem; I assume your workplace is fairly close to here?" Shigure replied, taking a bite of food.

"Tohru nodded. "Yes, in fact, I can walk home from there."

With this, a worried look crossed Yuki's face, and Kyou's head shot up; he too was frowning.

"Honda-san," Yuki began, voicing both his and Kyou's concerns, "are you sure it's safe to walk alone at night?"

"Yeah," Kyou added, "what if you have to go through gang territory?" he saw the grin Shigure was giving him, and glared. "N-not that I care," he growled, making a mental note to kill that perverted dog later.

Tohru scratched her head, oblivious to the killing aura radiating from Kyou. "I don't remember Mother ever talking about a gang that controlled that area, but I guess there might be."

"I don't think Tohru-kun is in any danger waking home, as long as it's a fairly respectable part of town," Shigure added, "but," he said turning to Tohru, "if you feel uncomfortable with it then I would be happy to come and drive you home."

"It's okay, but thank you," Tohru answered. "I'm sure I'll be fine!"

As the finished there was a knock on the door. "I wonder who that is?" Shigure said, standing up. "Perhaps it's Mit-chan!" He looked excited.

"That poor woman…" Yuki shook his head as his cousin bounced out of the room.

Tohru was curious. "Who is Mit-chan?" she asked.

"His editor; Shigure is a freelance writer," Yuki told her.

"And he gives her hell whenever she comes," Kyou added.

Tohru's eyes sparkled. "A writer?" she gasped. "I'd love to read some of his stories!"

Kyou and Yuki exchanged looks. "I don't think you'd like his stories," Yuki said quickly. "He writes for…a mature audience."

Tohru was about to ask about this, but Saki and Arisa walked in, accompanied by Shigure.

"Uo-chan and Hana-chan!" Tohru jumped up smiling, her question forgotten.

"We were wondering if we could borrow Tohru today," Arisa told Shigure. "We wanted to take her out."

"I sense a strong killing aura coming from that one," Saki commented, pointing to Kyou. Everyone turned to look at the cat and sweatdropped, seeing the glare he was still giving Shigure.

"Very well," Shigure said. "Have fun Tohru! Go ahead, we'll clear the table!"

With a quick thanks and goodbye, Tohru left with her friends.

Uo-chan laughed as the trio walked down the street. "We were going to take you out to lunch, but it seems you won't be hungry," she told Tohru. Tohru gave an apologetic smile. The girls walked in silence for a while, until they found themselves in a park they'd often visited when Tohru's mother was alive.

"Huh," Arisa said, sitting down under their old tree. "I guess our feet just naturally bring us here, right Tohru?"

"Yes!" Tohru agreed, "Because we've come here for so long!"

Hana-chan sat next to them. "This was Kyoko-san's favorite place as well," she said. Tohru and Arisa nodded.

After several minutes more of silence, Tohru spoke up. "Is something wrong? You two are very quiet…"

Saki and Arisa glanced at each other. "Actually," Arisa began, hesitating, "we did want to tell you something. Hanajima will tell her brother Megumi as well, but we understand how important it is to keep this secret from others."

Tohru couldn't think what was possibly so important. Neither Uo-chan nor Hana-chan kept many secrets of their own. With this knowledge, Tohru was almost afraid to ask. "W-what is it?

Saki laid a hand on Tohru's arm and leaned forward. "Arisa and I are planning to join the Reclaimers," she said in a low voice. Tohru's hands flew to her mouth.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in," he growled, looking up from the desk. As the door swung open, he aimed a pistol at the man entering. The assassin held his hands up immediately, seeing the gun.

"You trust your guards so very much," the visitor commented, smiling humorlessly.

"I didn't become the head of this gang by trusting people," he replied, setting down his weapon. "Nice of you to finally report back," he continued. "I was staring to think you bailed on me.

"Not me," the assassin replied nervously. "I was laying low for a while." He cleared his throat and continued more strongly. "I have completed my task," he announced. "I found and killed the target." He produced a snapshot and handed it to his employer.

A smile spread over the man's face. "That's her…" he looked almost lovingly at the image of the woman surrounded in blood. The assassin couldn't help shuddering at this man's obvious joy.

He cleared his throat again. "I'll take my pay and go then…" The man behind the desk looked up.

"I have one question first: did she have any close family or friends?"

The assassin shrugged. "I prefer not to get too well-acquainted with my targets. But she did have a daughter; I found this in the house." He pulled a second photo out of his pocket. His employer studied it.

"Pretty," he commented, and smiled sardonically. "She has her mother's face…they lived here together?" He pointed to the address the assassin had written on the back of the dead woman's photo.

The assassin nodded. "But the girl was gone when I was there; she was probably at school."

"Well, I'm very pleased," the gang leader said.

"My payment?"

He shot the sixth most deadly assassin in Japan. "Trash…" he said as he leaned back in his chair. This was just too perfect. The so-called Reclaimers must have been ready to die when they signed on, but they thought the safety of their loved ones was so secure…yes, he decided. The Red Butterfly's daughter would make a fine example for them.

AN: Well, I hope minna liked! As you can see, this is where it starts to branch away from the original FB story (it was following it pretty closely till now…am I not just so original?). But yesh! Interesting lil' twist there, with Uo-chan and Hana-chan, then with the gang boss, ne? Heh, I hope so anyway Yes, it is actually me, I changed my pen name! How does everyone like? Oki, now fer shoutouts!

Anonymous: Thankies so very much! ah…Valentines Day was so very long ago…I got lotsa candy :)

Merei-chan: Almost! Ya got the first signed review, if it helps. Tite, u draw? I draw…a little…sometimes…heh. Like stick figures.

Urameshi no Koibito: I like de new pen name! and lookie! It's Chibi Mi-chan with a new pen name! I will read yer story!

Lin-chan: Gracias!

Ying Fa19: Thankies so much fer your time! Heh, I uploaded about half of this at school. If I end up with a paring, it'll probly be Yukiru…Kyoru is oki, but I can't see myself writing a good one. :(

Ryoko Maxwell13: Naw, but that'd be pretty cool I admit…a kickass Tohru…hahahaha maybe I'll just write that one someday. You'll get the idea credit! If ya don't write it first, anyway!

Wowie, more ppl came back than I thought! hooray, makes me feel all happy and warm inside…see ya later!

Gen


	9. Yakusoku

Disclaimer: ME NO OWN.

In Honor of Kyoko

Sunlight filtered through the leaves of a tree to illuminate the three figures with small rays. Birdcalls echoed through the park, interrupting the silence.

"I believe she's in shock," Saki commented, turning back to Arisa. The other girl leaned towards Tohru, who was frozen with her hands still over her mouth, eyes wide. Arisa snapped her fingers in front of Tohru's face a few times. Gradually, Tohru's eyes came back into focus. She lowered her hands.

"R-reclaimers…?" she whispered, bottom lip trembling. "You?" Her friends nodded. "But even after what happened to Mother?"

"_Especially_ after what happened to Kyoko-san," Uo-chan said fiercely. "It made me realize just how much we need to get rid of those gangs, and just how much I was willing to give up to ensure I did my part!" Her eyes shone, and Tohru could see the determination and hope reflected in them. She turned to Hana-chan.

"Why do you want to…?"

Hana-chan looked up. "For the same reasons Arisa-chan said," she replied, smiling. Her face was a serene as ever. "Please don't worry, Tohru," she added, growing more serious. "Arisa and I will always look out for each other, as well as for you. We'll be more prepared than Kyoko-san was."

"Yeah," Uo-chan said, straightening. "You're in just as much danger as either of us if Kyoko's killers find out she wasn't the last of her line." Tohru shivered. "No worries thought; we've got your back!"

Tohru pushed all concerns to the back of her head and smiled in return to Arisa. "And I will always support you two!" she promised. All three locked pinkies to seal it, as they'd done as grade-schoolers.

"Yakusoku!" The all agreed.

Two days later, after signing in at her job for the first time, Tohru began to clean as she'd never cleaned before. Trash bags were carried out at amazing speed, surfaces were left sparkling, and not a speck of dirt was left on floors once she was done with them. Her coworkers talked between themselves, saying they'd never met a harder worker. She was the very last of the staff to sign out and leave.

Outside, Tohru found Yuki waiting for her. "Sohma-kun!" she greeted him, pleasantly surprised.

"I thought Honda-san might like some company," he explained, smiling, "although that baka neko decided to tag along," with an annoyed expression.

"Kyou-kun too?" Toru asked, eyes wide.

"Only because I thought it might not be safe!" Kyou objected, appearing from some shadows. "This pussy guy would probably get beat down in a second in a fight, so I knew you'd need some real protection!"

Tohru giggled. "Thanks, both of you!" she said happily, grabbing one of each boys' hands and beginning to walk down the street with them.

AN: I know, I know. This took absolutely forever to get up, and it's only what, like 400 words? A good chapter has about 2000, guys. I'm sorry! It's because this is kinda just a bridge between chapters, so next one will be much much longer, I promise. With lots of action and fun stuff like that. Also, I think I've managed the beat down the crazy writer's block that's been here for like the last 2 chapters, so ya. I'm sorry everybody! And I wonder why people stop coming back. Anyway! I think the next chapter should be up within 2 weeks, so I hope everybody hasn't been scared away yet…you guys know I love you!

Anonymous: Somehow, you've managed to keep on finding me, even though I take like a year to write the chapters, which really amazes me. Thanks so much!

Cyjj: Nope! But Akito will be making at least one appearance!

Merei-chan: Yea, I don't like overly sad stories…so no killing of Tohru! Fer sure! I know you always tell me to update…and I take so long. Gomen ne!

Ryoko Maxwell3: I really don't have any pairings planned yet, but I'm keeping it in mind.

Miser: lol, thanks:)

Avestia: Thanks so much, here's the update…although I can't say much for the "soon" part.

Valese: Glad u likes it!

Urameshi no Koibito: Eh, I think I can get over it, seen as it took me so long to get this up. Yesh, Uo and Hana-chan have joined the cult :) Yay, my penname is cool!

Thankies all fer reviewing! Later!

Gen


	10. Attack

Disclaimer: Not mine. And you know what? This applies to all further chapters. I'm done with the damn disclaimers!

In Honor of Kyoko

Tohru gradually fell into a new pattern of life with the Sohmas. Just a month later, she was once again the image of the carefree teenager she'd been before being thrown into the trying chain of events beginning with her mother's murder. It was now a rare occurrence to see her without a smile on her face. She did her best at home, in school, and at work. Shigure pronounced one night that Tohru must never leave, or he, Kyou, and Yuki would starve. Her grades in school, which had fallen a great deal following Kyoko's death, had risen significantly since then.

By this time, Tohru had also saved up a nice bit of money from work, and came to Shigure one day, insisting that she begin to pay rent.

"Nonsense," Shigure had said firmly, "you do more than enough; if anything, I should be paying you for the excess services you provide!" And that was that. He refused to listen to her protests at all. "Go treat yourself to something nice," he advised. "Take a break!" Tohru left, defeated.

Yuki had started coming regularly to walk her home from work, something Tohru took great comfort in, especially after her first warning of gang activity (as well as that of perverts). Kyou sometimes accompanied him, and Tohru had grown used to his seemingly less-than-friendly comments towards her, which she suspected were no more than covers for a softening attitude. This delighted her greatly, and with his grudging acceptance of her, Tohru had finally been able to feel truly comfortable in her new home and settle into her current state.

One night, Tohru came out of the building still dressed in her work clothes. "I'm so sorry Sohma-kun, Kyou-kun!" she said to Yuki, who was, as always was there, and Kyou, who was perched on top of the fence by the road. "There was a big spill on the third floor, and it will take about twenty minutes to clean," she told them apologetically.

"It's no problem," Yuki assured. "Why don't Stupid over there and I take a walk, and we'll be back in twenty minutes." Kyou bared his teeth.

"Yes!" Tohru agreed. "Please enjoy yourselves! And thank you for understanding!" Yuki gave her one of his courteous smiles.

"It's no problem," he repeated. Tohru turned happily to go back to her cleanup. "Let's go, Neko-_chan_," he said disdainfully to Kyou once she was inside.

"Shut the hell up, pretty boy!" Kyou spat back. The two set off with an air of mutual enmity, as always.

"Are they there?" one of the men asked his companion quietly, peering out from behind the tall office building. "I know Rifle said they had claimed this area," he said, using the scout's street name, albeit the only one he knew, "but I haven't seen anything close to a sign they're staying here!"

The other man snorted. "Damn straight they're here," he said scornfully. "You're just too fucking dumb to notice!" He pointed across the small park to the entry to a small alley. "That's where they're hiding out," he informed the first speaker. "Rifle told us, there've been people coming in and out of there all day. And they prolly know we're here too."

The first man scowled, but ignored the remark about his intelligence. "So when's it going down?" he asked impatiently. "We've been here nearly half an hour!"

"When they bring back the new guns and shit!" the second replied, his temper obviously beginning to get the better of him. "How the hell did they let you _in_?" he asked, exasperated.

Fortunately, he was spared the trouble of explaining a strangled partner by the young woman who knelt between them, causing both to jump back in alarm. Neither had even heard her approach, despite the heavy load she carried.

"Because he has very good aim," she supplies as an answer to the short-tempered man's question, handing a machine gun to the other. "And I thought you two could lie low for just a little while…" She shook her head and snapped, "The Kamikazes noticed you two here; Rifle just reported to tell me they're getting ready for a fight."

"Sorry ma'am," the two men apologized in unison. It was not generally a good idea to make the woman angry. Besides possessing lethal skills in martial arts--which most members of the Silver Falcon gang had seen put to use at least once--she was the Boss's niece.

"Whatever," she replied dismissively. "You two boneheads may have lost our element of surprise, but we can still blow the Kamikaze away. There's no way they're gonna have these babies." She uncovered a medium sized parcel in brown paper tied with twine: a most surreptitious, innocent looking parcel. "C4," she answered the unasked question. Respect grew on the men's faces. The powerful, not to mention expensive, explosive was hard to come by in Japan. "Now make sure you put this somewhere useful!" She ordered. We only have two, and they were damn expensive." She began to walk away, then turned around. "Don't screw this up," she warned.

Tohru and the other worker assigned to work on one section of the mess were almost finished. Someone had spilled a huge amount of ice across two rooms, and it had needed to be cleaned up before the staff left; the manager wouldn't be happy if he found that mildew had started growing in the carpet or against walls, or that the third floor had flooded overnight.

"I'm going to dump this, okay Tohru?" Ikami, Tohru's cleanup partner told her, hoisting a trash bag filled with the swept up ice onto his shoulder. Ikami was a collage student in his sophomore year who worked the evening shift with Tohru on weekends, the only time he had free from his studies. With a major in law, he didn't have much free time, but when he worked with her, he was a wonderful partner for conversation.

Tohru nodded at him, brushing loose strands of hair out of her face. "That's the last of the ice here; I'll start mopping up the water!" she replied cheerfully. As she moved the mop around to pick up water, her mind wandered. She decided that she would make oden for dinner that night; Shigure had been talking about a need for inspiration for his newest novel, and she thought that a traditional Japanese dinner would be the perfect thing. It was as she wondered vaguely if she'd have time to go by the store for seafood to use that the deep rumbling began, and seconds later, the building shook from the foundations.

Tohru was startled suddenly out of her thoughts, and slipped on a wet spot, landing hard on her back. It protested painfully as she stood up cautiously. She looked around, and saw every pane of glass in the windows shattered. Tohru dropped her mop and bucked and sprinted to the stairs, jumping down two and three at a time. She ran towards the front of the building, and she heard screams growing louder. The sight that awaited her was unbelievable. The corner and part of one side of the building opposite to where she'd been had been completely blown away. There must have been forty feet left to where the front doors once had been.

Outside, all was chaos. Civilians ran the fastest they could to get out of the way while loud crashes and gunfire went off. Tohru's eyes widened, and she ran to the side of the building where the large dumpsters were located. As she rounded a corner, she saw someone lying in the street.

She was about to run in the other direction, but instead, steeled herself and walked towards the figure. She had to help them if she could. She drew closer, and recognized Ikami, the trash bag he'd carried a few feet away. Also next to him was a large chunk of concrete from the building that had knocked the bag, and his life away. Tohru's stomach twisted at the sight of the unnatural position his back was in. She ran away as fast as she could.

Yuki and Kyou's walk had been cut short when Kyou announced he wanted to go back to a vendor's stand selling hot cocoa that had been next to the building Tohru worked in. As they came out of the tree cover at the edge of the park, only about twenty feet away from the vendor's stand however, both stopped dead in their tracks. A large shock wave rolled across the ground beneath their feet. The two boys turned to look at each other; Yuki's mouth was open to say something. Then the corner of the building nearest to them exploded.

When she reached the end of the alley, Tohru crouched down in a nook created in the wall by the explosion. She felt tears stinging at her eyes, but refused to cry. She had to find Yuki and Kyou. "Sohma-kun and Kyou-kun, Sohma-kun and Kyou-kun!" She repeated the mantra over and over, willing herself to move. But she found it infinitely difficult to stand up and leave the safety of her hiding place. Around her, she could hear the sounds of gunfire and yelling.

Ten minutes later, once the gunfire had ceased, the man who reached in to grab her arm and pull her into the open made the choice for her. Tohru gasped at the wound in his shoulder. Blood was spilling down his arm, causing a puddle to form on the ground. Looking him over, she realized he was just a teen.

"You need to go to a hospital!" was the first thought that entered Tohru's mind in her numbed state, so she said it. To her surprise, the young man burst out laughing. Tohru stood and watched as he regained control and stopped.

"I need to go to a hospital," he repeated. "You tell a gangster who is about to kill you to go to a hospital!"

"Y-yes," Tohru stammered, still too shocked to think of anything else.

Anya opened the trapdoor to the top of another office building where she would have a clear vantage point of where the two men planted the bomb. She sat down at the edge of the flat roof and followed their progress around the side of the corporate building. She smiled coldly. From this point, she had the added advantage of seeing the enemies' movements. The men left the package next to one of the corners of the building and snuck away.

A minute later, gunfire opened, and gangsters started to pour from their hiding places. Anya's smile widened as the Kamikaze's force charged towards the location of the Silver Falcon's trump card. Casually, she picked up a box and flipped open the clear plastic lid, exposing the infamous little red button. She pushed it with a manicured thumb.

"Boom," she whispered gleefully.

The gangster cocked his gun, still looking amused. "Did you hear me right, kid?" he asked. "I could kill you right here! I've killed lots of people already, I can do it again!"

"Okay," Tohru whispered. "But I have to find Sohma-kun and Kyou-kun."

The youth shook his head. "The fighting's all over, but I think the Silver Falcons will have control of this area soon. They took out more than half of our fighters with that bomb…" Tohru would have been horrified if she weren't still recovering from the shock of everything. "Okay," the youth proposed. "How about this? You're a cute girl; I got nothing against you. I'll help ya find these two guys you're looking for if ya want."

Tohru was beginning to come back to reality, and this kind gesture brought tears to her eyes. "Really?" she whispered, not quite sure if he would actually do it.

"For sure," he said. "I haven't laughed like that in a while, and I'll be damned if I stick around here to get killed." Tohru couldn't believe this complete stranger would be so kind as to help her find Yuki and Kyou. She felt like hugging him. So she did.

"Shit!" Kyou tackled Yuki to the ground as a huge block of something very solid passed over them where their heads had been just seconds ago. Both looked up to see dust clearing away from the huge hole in the corporate building.

"No…?" Yuki whispered, time moving all too fast for him to keep up.

Kyou shot up from the ground to stare at the building, still surrounded by a cloud of dust and smaller chunks of falling concrete.

"Holy shit," he whispered, and then ran towards the structure, leaving Yuki behind. The rat jumped up to pursue him, yelling for Kyou to stop. Around them, gunfire had begun, as Yuki had feared. It was a gang fight, and he and Kyou were right in the middle of it. At last, he jumped ahead and caught hold of the back of Kyou's jacket. He yanked hard, the result being both of them landing in a heap again.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kyou yelled, rolling away from Yuki.

"Idiot," Yuki gasped; Kyou's knee had found its way firmly into his ribs. "You want to get killed?"

At that moment, a round of shots hit the block of concrete they'd fallen behind, showering more dust onto them.

"But _Tohru_—" Yuki cut Kyou off,

"Can wait. She'll have to wait. It's not safe to move!" He knew what a heartless bastard he must have sounded like, but it couldn't be helped. "We can't help Honda-san if we're dead," he explained restrainedly. "We'll find her!" _If she's alive_, his treacherous thoughts reminded him. He shook his head to drive them away.

After several more agonizing minutes, the shooting and yells of hit men stopped abruptly. The silence was deafening after the long minutes of gunfire. Kyou's head shot up, and after a second, Yuki nodded. Both jumped from behind their refuge and ran for the building once more.

Both fighting sides seemed to have run out of ammo, and were now retreating to a safe distance, though it was obvious from the numbers that the group to their left had won. Their path was completely clear.

"Damn thugs," Kyou grunted as the reached the edge of the circle of destruction, where part of the office building was still intact. Neither noticed the small figure partially hidden, curled up in the wall, some twenty feet away.

Yuki desperately tried to clear his head and think. "There are four floors; Honda-san said she'd be on the third, but we can't be sure she's still there." He forced himself to speak calmly. "We'll search each floor going up." Kyou nodded, willing for once to listen to Yuki. They began to search the first floor, calling for Tohru.

They searched the building thoroughly, floor by floor. Finally, during their second time on the second floor, Kyou sat down in disgust. "Face it, she's not here!" he told Yuki. Pain was displayed only too clearly on his face.

Yuki glared at that cat. "She must have gone somewhere else then!" he insisted. "It doesn't make sense that she would stay in the building anyway," he said, frowning. "In any case, we have to keep looking for her. We'll go to the park; she may have gone looking for us as well." He walked away from Kyou determinately. The other boy followed, a grim expression set on his face. He wouldn't even think of what they'd do if they ran out of places to look for Tohru.

The youth led Tohru out to the park area after she told him that she thought Yuki and Kyou might be there. As they walked towards the tree cover, the two began to talk. Tohru's new companion said his name was Souta, and Tohru introduced herself as well. Studying him more closely, Tohru noticed several tattoos on his arms and the armband he'd moved up to his shoulder to help stop the bleeding. The only 'gangster' she'd ever known personally was her mother, and somehow she'd always assumed they'd be cold people who loved to kill. This boy could still be in high school, and he was quite obviously intelligent enough, and kind as well. Tohru was ashamed to have prejudged someone.

"Sohma-kun! Kyou-kun!" she called as they searched the outskirts of the park. "What if something happened to them?" she asked Souta, horrified. In the explosion, or the guns…"

He laid a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "They're probably as worried as you are; since you are looking for them, I'd say there's a good chance they're doing the same thing." Tohru nodded.

Several minutes later, a there was a surprised shout: "Honda-san?" Tohru looked up to see Yuki and Kyou running toward her. She did the same, throwing her arms around both of them when they met.

"I was really scared," she whispered, "that I wouldn't find you!" Kyou patted her head awkwardly, his heart racing in relief.

"Are you hurt at all?" Yuki asked.

"No," she replied. "The explosion was in a different part of the building from where I was."

Souta had wandered into a different part, some twenty feet away from Tohru. He came ambling back at the sound of their talking. He stopped when he saw the trio, and leaned against a tree, smiling. He wondered how it was that in minutes this girl had made him open up and caused him to act so differently from normal. He was being a _nice guy_, and now he was grinning at the little reunion, something he would have usually walked right away from in disgust. She really was something special. He'd still expected her to leave right away with the two boys, but she looked around for him, and spotting, ran back over.

"Thank you so much, Souta-san!" the said, bowing. "I'm really grateful for all you help."

Souta smiled back weakly, suddenly realizing he didn't want her to leave; he found her company so enjoyable. "Yeah," he replied. "You and your friends should go home." He patted her shoulder "The Silver Falcons will start patrolling the area soon to make sure the Kamikazes are gone." He continued, distractedly, "Judging by the damage done, I'd say we're gone for good. Probably be breaking up soon…I know I'm done with them."

Tohru smiled at this. "I'm so glad you're not going back to the gang! You can only get hurt by them." Her voice sobered a little as she thought of her mother.

Souta laughed. "I wouldn't have so much faith in a loser like me if I were you. I'll probably get sucked into some other gang before the end of the month!" He forced a grin. Tohru returned with another smile of her own, and reached out her arm. Souta found himself feeling incredibly awkward as she gave him a hug, but hesitantly returned it. "Anyway," he advised, backing up, "don't ever get involved with gangs! You're too nice for that."

Tohru bowed slightly in thanks and parting. "So are you!" she replied, then turned to run back to Yuki and Kyou, looking back once she reached them to wave and give him a happy smile. Then the three began to walk home, leaving Souta with a lot to think about.

AN: YEY! I got a chapter up on time; lets have a **partay** guys! This one just kind of wrote itself…I actually would have finished sooner but la familia went on vacation over the weekend! Yay, writer's block is gone guys! That makes me happy...Dammit though, I realized in the middle of writing the chapter, that I should have introduced Ikami earlier, but adding him in was kind of an impromptu thing that happened right while I was writing. I did the best I could with him! Okay, so this is basically where the action starts...I'm still in the planning process with where we go from here. There are lots of different ways it could go, you know! I could do a Sailor Moon type thing and deliver a moral lesson at the end of each chapter, We could just have lots of fighting and scare all the gangs off, or we could do a nice peaceful kind of revolution...and there's so much more I can do...See? My life is sooo hectic with all the decisions to make! Anyways. Thanks everyone for reviewing! I'm glad people even noticed it...I blame the fact that this was off the first page after an hour on the sudden FB craze. Hopefully people slow down their writing when I post this.

Urameshi no Koibito: Lol, thanks! And the writer's block has LEFT THE BUILDING! Yey :)

Creative Penname: Yep, ALL pairings are technically opened to consideration. Nothing is planned guys, although I don't go for yaoi/yuri stuff so don't expect it. But yes, I will think about it! Now that you mention it, I really don't think I've ever seen a Shigure/Mit pairing! How strange!

Anonymous: Gracias so very much!

Kireina: Yep, that was the point. Yes! PH34R for Uo and Hana-chan! As you can see, I've already killed a minor character; what will I do next? Actually, did you guys know that Hana-chan is my favorite character from Fruits Basket? I just think she's so cute! Who's with me?

Cyjj: Thankies! Here's the update, what did ya think?

Merei-chan: hope yer computer's working again soon! Here's to us! Downs a shot jk guys, I'm a good girl! ;)

Gen


	11. Settling

In Honor of Kyoko

Tohru, Yuki, and Kyou walked home in silence, Tohru still in her work uniform—her street clothes had been kept in a destroyed section of the building. Despite the fact that she'd been Kyoko's daughter, Tohru had never seen gang violence firsthand like this. News about gang fights aired on TV all the time, but Tohru and Kyoko had lived in a fairly good neighborhood, and it had always seemed so far away from them. The rude awakening had taught her just how much street gangs would do, just for a small piece of territory. And how innocent lives were so easily taken. She missed Ikami and his pleasant way of talking with her already.

As they'd searched for Yuki and Kyou, Souta had told Tohru all about the fight. Until recently, that neighborhood had been a sort of neutral zone and was not under the control of any one gang. But recently, looking to expand their small territory, his gang, the Kamikaze, began to move onto the land. The Silver Falcon's land bordered it as well, and they'd not taken kindly to this invasion of "their borderland."

"So for now," he'd told Tohru, "this neighborhood belongs to them."

"For now?" she echoed.

"This area has been a sort of buffer zone for about five gangs," he explained. "It separates all of their territories. But you saw how the Silver Falcons reacted to our trying to take over here; there are several others who will most likely do the same. So this area isn't gonna be safe for residents—or workers—until it's secured by one gang or goes back to being neutral, which is possible. 'Till then, I'd advise you to look for new work. I'll be surprised if that business doesn't go right down anyway, seeing as half of it got blown up."

Presently, they arrived at the house. The three looked at each other; all of them were covered in dust. They'd need to shower. Yuki opened the door, and they trooped in together.

"Aaaaahhh, is that my little flower I hear?" Shigure called from the kitchen. "I was getting hungry!" He cut himself off abruptly as he saw them. His eyes scanned quickly over them, noting the dirt and dust that covered them and Tohru in her work uniform instead of street clothes. "Was there a problem at work?" he asked.

"Can we just get fucking clean first?" Kyou growled. He'd mentally beat himself up all the way home. While Tohru had been scared, he'd been hiding behind a rock like a little boy with the damn rat. Needless to say, he was in a wonderful mood.

For once, Yuki had to agree with him, so Shigure had to wait for the story. Once all three had gotten clean and changed, they all sat down to talk. All three contributed to the retelling, which gave them a better view of what had happened as well. Both Kyou and Yuki realized that Tohru must have still been in her niche when they'd entered the building, which seemed to create a great deal of irony about the situation. Tohru explained how Souta had found her hiding and helped her to look for the boys. Telling of Ikami's death brought fresh tears to her eyes. Finally, they all had a clear picture of the afternoon. Tohru, Kyou, and Yuki were all thoroughly exhausted as well. It was time to sleep.

That night, Tohru lay awake in bed. She couldn't forget how horrible Ikami had looked; his broken body sprawled on the ground. Although she hadn't known him especially well, besides the friendly conversations they'd had while at work, she felt as if she'd lost a close and irreplaceable friend. Her mother had been injured in gang clashes before, but somehow Tohru had never actually thought of these fights in terms of herself; never imagined being one of the civilians stuck between two warring sides, never imagined a friend as one of the casualties of these shallow quarrels. How was it she'd been so sheltered from reality and the harshness of life for so long with a mother like Kyoko? The world is full of cruel ironies.

Kyou spent the night on the roof playing the events of the day over in his mind again and again. Just how had that damn Yuki convinced him to hide behind that rock, leaving Tohru in the building? He edited the memories flashing through his mind like a movie, imagining himself continuing across the street, hunting for Tohru and keeping her safe during the fight. _That's what I should have done_, he thought grimly. _That's what I will do anytime she's in trouble in the future_! Satisfied by this resolution, he curled up, closed his eyes, and waited for sleep.

Yuki was having a hard time getting to sleep as well. Kyou wasn't the only one who wished he could have been more useful. He still couldn't quite believe the good luck the three of them had been blessed with. There was no way in hell Tohru's friend Ikami was the only one who'd died as a result of the gang fight. The three of them had been at great risk. Then, that one of the gangsters had actually _helped _Tohru, and that he and Yuki had found them in the park, completely by chance was almost too perfect. Their odds that day had been extremely bad, yet they'd all come out unhurt. Yuki sent up a thank you to whatever deity had felt particularly kind towards them and rolled over in bed.

The next week passed incredibly smoothly, with the hype up at school that went along with any similar event in the city for the first few days, before the talk settled down and the gang fight passed out of interest. The police had marked the area as hazardous to civilians, and travel there was advised against in the news. And that was all the authorities could do about it. It was amazing, really, how subdued law enforcement had become. After huge losses in numbers as a result of fighting against the installment of gangs early on, the police force had been forced to settle for handling small outbreaks only and acting as a warning device for citizens.

For Tohru and friends however, the incident did not pass out of memory so easily. Uo and Hana-chan had almost immediately stepped into action as Reclaimers, and the area of the fight was on their top-five list of territories to look into. Just as Souta had promised, other gangs had quickly moved in and the issue of ownership of the neighborhood was in heated dispute. What the Reclaimers wanted was for the land to become neutral again, and Tohru's friends told her it was looking as if that was what would be happening, even if they left the situation alone.

Prominent gangs were in a way similar to tiny mafias. The leaders were often acquainted and a great deal of negotiation went on between them. Spies the Reclaimers sent in reported that the bosses of most gangs were opting for the area to return to its former status as a gray zone.

Hana-chan mentioned to Tohru that the Kamikaze, the losers of the fight had completely broken up. Tohru wondered whether Souta would join another gang, and told her friends so. Arisa and Saki promised they'd tell her if they heard anything about him.

"I'm not sure if they actually get much info on individual people unless you're talking about somebody on top," Uo-chan said skeptically, but she was willing to listen for any news of him. Tohru was appreciative of the offer. She'd been taken with Souta and truly hoped he'd do well.

Yuki and Kyou had by no means moved on easily either. Kyou had ranted about the sons of bitches who had nothing better to do than fight in the street until Yuki told him he did the same thing one day while the three walked home from school one day. Kyou promptly challenged Yuki to a fight then and there.

Despite his cool exterior, Yuki was just as angry about the showdown as Kyou. It was one thing for gangs to fight. It was another to involve civilians and put them in danger. Especially Tohru. The problem was that Yuki didn't see how he could do a thing about the whole situation. There was no way he could take on every gang in Japan, let alone the one that had attacked at Tohru's work. Revenge didn't seem to be an option.

Tohru spent an increasing amount of time with Arisa and Saki outside of school, and neither Yuki nor Kyou were sure why. It didn't seem to be recreational time, as the three would usually spend hours in Tohru's room, or otherwise at the other girls' houses. The boys were worried about Tohru, but as the effects of the fateful day at work wore off, she became her usual smiling self again, and they put their worries in the back of their heads.

One day, Shigure came home with an announcement.

"Tohru-kun! Are you still looking for a job?"

"H-hai; I've been trying to get a new one, but I've been busy…I'm sorry, I'll work harder to get one!"

Shigure laughed. "There's no problem, but I found you a job offer if you're interested! It's for a catering company I have some connections to; they say they want a few extra chefs. I thought the job was perfect for you!"

Tohru's eyes sparkled. Her job as a janitor had brought in money, but she liked cooking a lot! This was the kind of job that someone was supposed to look for: a job that would fit his or her passion. And wasn't cooking one of her favorite things to do?

"I'll do it!" she exclaimed. "Oh, thank you so much Shigure-san. It means so much to me!"

Shigure chuckled. He'd known she'd be happy. "Anything to help my dearest Tohru, who works so hard and is the cutest—" A plate flew from the kitchen and collided with the older man's face.

"There's about ten more where that came from," came Kyou's menacing growl from behind the partition. Shigure shut up.

A/N: So I **do** still have it in me, eh? I actually didn't take a break to decide what to do; I'm just a lazy sucka. So, apologies to anyone that was reading this before that is actually back. I just want to say thanks to Kyoko the Squirrel Queen for leaving the review and reminding me that I do actually have this thing on my hard drive for a reason. I actually have no idea how you found the damn thing. It was probably on page 500 at this point. Thanks also for putting me on your favorites list. I appreciate it a lot! Lots of thanks n hugs also to gotmilk, anonymous, cyjj, and Urameshi no Koibito. Sorry guys, this definitely does not qualify as "updating soon," but I certainly hope that "later" is preferable to "never."


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